Monsters Inc.

There Are Plenty of SUVs Out There That Promise to Go Anywhere. But What Happens When Your Anywhere Has a Slightly Different Meaning Than What They Had Designed Their Cars for? You Build Your Own.

- Debabrata Sarkar

It’s a good day to be out in the countryside. There has been a slight drizzle overnight and the sun has softened a bit. It is surprisingly pleasant and there isn’t a drop of sweat on my forehead. We’ve made our way to a pin that was dropped at a location on Google Maps referred to simply as the ‘table top’. Quite a sight this, sharp thorns, tufts of tall dry grass, dust trails crossing paths and some deep ravines thrown into the mix to keep things interesting. It is surprisingly close to Gurugram, but has managed to escape any sort of development. Good news for the off-road enthusiasts from Delhi, a couple of whom I’m waiting for atop this interesting vantage point. What’s even more interesting are the vehicles that they have built for themselves, a couple of promising off-road machines tailored to their unique fancies.

I hear a distinct deep-throated rumble in the distance and some time passes by before I spot the trail of dust that has been thrown up. In case you’re wondering, yes, they aren’t the quickest cars you’ll ever come across and no they aren’t blitzing the trail like rally cars. Tooling around off-road takes a special set of abilities and none of them are particularly leaning toward speed. Nevertheless, it is a sight to see this pair make their way through to the rally point that they had set for us. Parked alongside each other, the two off-road toys couldn’t be more different. One is quite literally a barebones Jeep (a CJ-3B), while the other is a complete competition-ready vehicle with almost nothing left from its original donor, a Gypsy.